UT's Santos overwhelmed by support for ailing mom

Published 9:38 pm, Wednesday, April 23, 2014

AUSTIN — For 20 years, Mary Vista Santos was the strong one. Even after her oldest son grew into a rugged, hard-hitting linebacker capable of striking fear into grown men who had the misfortune of carrying a football in his vicinity, Dalton Santos knew his mother was tougher. And in each of his lowest moments, he leaned on her.

Late Friday night, she leaned back. As he sat by her bedside in a Tyler hospital, processing the news that she had been diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm and required open-heart surgery despite having no health insurance, he struggled to show the strength she'd always had for him.

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“I was bawling,” said Dalton Santos, a sophomore Texas linebacker from Van. “She said, 'How am I going to do this?' I had no answer.”

By Sunday, though, he'd come up with one. After a family friend set up a donation page on YouCaring.com, Santos posted a message on Twitter asking his followers to help cover the cost of his mother's surgery. The initial goal was $5,000. Once UT fans began retweeting Santos' plea, that figure was surpassed within hours. By Wednesday afternoon, more than 500 donors had contributed more than $30,000.

UT's compliance office said donations to Santos' family are allowed under NCAA bylaw 16.11.1.8-(g).

Santos said he'll find out Monday when his mother will have the surgery, as well as how much it will cost (he said the family has been told it might run them $150,000). Through tears Wednesday afternoon, Santos broke down several times when talking about the “unbelievable” support he's received from people he's never met. He said he was especially moved by a message from a Kansas 10-year-old who pledged his entire monthly $25 allowance.

“It breaks me up inside to see that people really care,” Santos said. “It's humbling. I'm so grateful and so thankful.”